Videos of the week: MRC research with macaques

Macaques are non-human primates. They are used in medical research because many of their body systems — such as their immune and nervous systems — are similar to humans, making them good research ‘models’ for a variety of human conditions.

The Medical Research Council’s Centre for Macaques breeds rhesus macaques for use in medical research in academic institutions in the UK. Using macaques from the centre means that researchers and those who fund or regulate research can be sure the animals were bred in conditions that met high welfare standards.

In these films the MRC look at why macaques are used in medical research, including an example of a neuroscientist who uses macaques to study how brain signals control movement, with the aim of helping paralysed people control external devices such as robotic arms or wheelchairs with their thoughts.

They also look at how the animals are housed in the MRC Centre for Macaques, how their behavioural needs are met and efforts to make the transition from the centre to the research lab as stress free as possible.